China is more than a passion for Dr. Ruth Lumb. It’s her second home and classroom across the sea. Lumb, a marketing professor in the School of Business, is a bicontinental professor who has brought a bit of China to MSUM and will continue to do so with the Doing Business in China Certificate Program.

“My interest in the Chinese market began when I attended a conference in India three decades ago and learned that China did not have international relations with India,” Lumb said. Since then Lumb has made more than 40 trips to China.

“It’s been exciting to watch the Chinese market change over the past three decades. The attitudes of the people about markets and industry have evolved now that the government has accepted a less socialistic approach to business,” Lumb said. She’s taken business students to China nearly every spring for the past eight years to give them the same opportunity to witness China’s changing markets.

“I give them ‘hoof-it’ time so they can walk the streets and talk with the locals, being a part of the culture rather than a spectator of it. Then we share our stories,” she said. “I learn something new from my students during every trip.”

Doing Business in China Certificate Program

Lumb was instrumental in developing MSUM’s new Doing Business in China Certificate program. Four classroom courses and an educational trip to China will focus on China’s worldview while exploring the country’s rich history, economy and culture. Students and business professionals alike will gain understanding of China’s unique international business practices and implications of one of the world’s most populated countries.

“We must learn about the world beyond our borders,” Lumb said. “Since China’s market is continuing to grow, it’s important to understand its business objectives. That is why this program will be so beneficial.”

Faculty Experts Do Business in China Ruth Lumb
Lumb has developed exchange programs in China at Chongqing Technology and Business University, where she helped set up the business school curriculum, and at Xi’an University of Science and Technology, where she is also a professor and conducts research. She has presented workshops for Ministry of Education and Ministry of Vocational Education, Federal Government of China, and was a partner in a Sino-U.S. joint venture.

Last fall she used virtual connections for her classes, allowing students and professors at Xi’an University to interact with MSUM students and professors and vice versa. These virtual connections will continue with students from the two countries working together on research, case studies, and feasibility projects.

Peter Geib
Dr. Peter Geib has spent more than 30 months living in China as well as 18 months living in Singapore with frequent travels to China. He is widely published in his principal research interest involving U.S. trade, investment and strategic management in transition economies, with particular interest in China. He has conducted more than 350 interviews with key influencers in business, government and academic organizations in China, leading to publication in nearly 50 peer-reviewed journals. He is currently developing an exchange with Shanghai Finance University.

• The Peoples’ Republic of China is the world’s second largest economy (only the U.S. economy is larger).
• With a population of over 1.3 billion, China is potentially the largest market in the world.
• It is the world’s fastest growing major economy and more and more companies are doing business in China or with Chinese companies.
• Over the past 10 years, USA exports to China have quadrupled to approximately $106 billion.
• The potential to increase your company’s business by 25% or more resides in China.
• The consumer middle class in Asia, including China, is expected to triple in 15 years to 1.75 billion people.
• The demand for professionals with a working knowledge of how to do business in China is growing.